Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1887-07-09

Among the things for which the pres
ent century will be noted is the building
of great ship canals.
Recently the German Emperor laid at
Kiel the foundation stone of the great
ship canal which is to connect the North
sea with the Baltic, piercing the PENN
sula occupied by Denmark. Although
the work presents but few difficulties, 1t
will, from Its very magnitude, be one OF
ments of the century, while its effect
upon German commerce cannot but be
very important. The object in view in
constructing it is both commercial and
strategical. AT present every vessel, un-
less 1t be of exceedingly small tonnage,
going from the German ocean to the
Baltic-say from Hamburg to Kiel-is
compelled to make very long detour, to
double the northernmost point of Den
mark, and to thread the dangerous
straits between Jutland and Sweden and
the even more dangerous Skager Rack.
Every year large number of vessels are
wrecked in these perilous waters; and it
is computed that of German craft alone
one every fortnight is lost between Cape
Skagen and the Baltic. The capital i'm
p )rtance of the canal which is now COM
menced is indicated by the fact that every
year $4,000 vessels journey from the
North sea to the Baltic, that 1900 of
them are obliged by their tonnage and
their draught of water to go by long sea.
The other $4,000 craft, mainly small sail
ing vessels of the coast class, proceed
through the existing Eyder canal, which
runs from Wilhelmshaven on the North
sea to Kiel on the Baltic. This canal is
very narrow and very shallow, and is
only navigable for vessels of insignificant
tonnage. The saving of time which will
result from the use of the new canal will
be very considerable; for while the dis
lance from Hamburg to given point on
the Baltic coast is GAG marine leagues by
long sea, 1t will be only 221 leagues by
the Baltic will be abridged by 800 marine
leagues by the construction of the canal.
The canal will run from Kiel to the
estuary of the Elbe below Hamburg, and
1t will be wide enough and deep enough
to admit the largest ironclads in the Ger
man navy, of the type of the Kaiser
Wilhelm, with 8,345 horsepower and q
displacement of 9,575 tons. Upon the
banks great docks and warehouses and
several barracks are to be erected; for,
despite its obvious commercial advan-
tages, 1t is doubtful If the canal would
have been undertaken had 1t not been
for the strategic facilities 1t promises.
Its existence will render warlike oper-
atoms against the German Baltic ports
exceedingly hazardous, and will make
1t almost impossible for hostile feet to
blockade that sea, since German ironclads
and gunboats will be able to dart from
one coast to the other with great rapidity
and in perfect security from attack by
the way. The entire cost of construct
Ing this important waterway is estimated
at $3.50 900, 900, of which about one-third
will be paid by Prussia and the re-
mainder by the other German states.
The annual cost of maintenance is fixed
at $275, 900. For a long time public
opinion in the Fatherland hesitated in
face of this heavy expenditure; but the
commercial and strategic advantages of
the canal appeared to be so great that,
after years of discussion, 1t was at last
recognized that the money would be
thoroughly well spent.
1t is only three years short of five
centuries since the Duke of Holstein
first proposed the making of canal be-
tween the two seas. Two centuries later,
in No. l. Al
into serious consideration; but nothing
was done; In 1854, the Eyder canal was
made, and for time it served its pur-
pose fairly well; but for the last forty
years 1t has been sadly inefficient, al
though 1t was not until after the annexa-
ton of Schleswig- Holstein that the Ger
man government took the matter up.
On terrestrial globe, said to have
been constructed in 1920, and still pre-
served in the public library at Nurem-
berg, the Isthmus of Panama bears a
peculiar mark, which is supposed to
have indicated the most favorable line
for cutting it through. Eight years af-
terward a complete scheme for that pur-
pose was proposed by Antonio Galvao
to Charles V. CorteZ was instructed
(after the conquest of Mexico) to search
for natural strait (which would rem
der the King of Spain master of so many
kingdoms that he might consider himself
Lord of the World" In 1861 Gomara,
the author of the "History of the In
dies" proposed three different routes
for canal, including that by way of
Nicaragua. To explore the latter an ex-
petition was sent out by Philip ii in 1867.
The majority of American engineers
have given the preference to this line
The Panama canal actually in progress
Is less than fifty miles long, and when
completed Gf ever it is completely 1t will
share with that of Suez, and presuma-
bly, with the Holstein canal, the distinc-
ton of being true geographical strait
in which the water finds It's own level.
1t Is to be hoped that time will declare
itself on the side of M. de Lesseps.
Since the year 1920 some fifty expedi-
tions have been organized for the pur-
pose of reporting upon the feasibility of
such an undertaking.
The great canal of the Old World has
much higher historic record. Mention
is made by HerodOtus of a proposal for
cutting waterway between the Medi-
terranean and the Red seas, and 1t is
probable that some channel did formerly
exist between them. Whether this was
natural or artificial communication 1t
is impossible to determine. In either
case it must have gradually silted up.
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